Causes of Depression - Theories

It
has been proved that there is not a single cause of depression; in fact many factors can contribute to this. Depression can
affect people who previously felt balanced and healthy but were suddenly faced with a death in the family for
example. Equally, people can become depressed for no apparent reason and
this can happen at any age. Interestingly, positive experiences can
sometimes trigger depression. Significant change – however positive or life
enhancing can cause anxiety, which can lead to depression.

Let’s examine some
popular theories on depression and what causes it by looking in more detail
into each of the following which appear to make sense as statements but
need more consideration:

Depression is a result of
unfortunate experiences or circumstances

Depression is caused by
certain ways of thinking or approaches to life

Depression is a medical
disease, caused by a hormonal or neurochecmical
imbalance

Theory 1) - Depression is a
result of unfortunate experiences or circumstances

Depression is often linked to ‘bad’ experiences but can events
themselves actually cause depression? If something happens which leads to
feelings of sadness, anger or hurt, it is possible that this could result
in a more serious case of depression. However, this does not mean that the
situation is the ‘cause’ of the depression as such. The point is how we
relate to an experience that we have had, not the fact that it has happened
in the first place. It also does not mean that any of us are to blame for
feeling depressed - it simply means that we all respond differently to life
events and how we make sense of them has a knock on effect on our emotions,
our behaviour and on our physical well-being.

Theory 2) – Depression is
caused by certain ways of thinking or approaches to life

It is not an
inevitable conclusion that depression will develop if things go wrong or as a result of negative thinking. We all react
differently and can actually have lifestyles, which others and we view as
positive. Negative thinking can obviously have an effect on our lives but
it does not automatically follow that this approach will lead to
depression.

Theory 3) – Depression is a
medical disease, caused by a hormonal or neurochemical
imbalance

Depression can
cause physical symptoms and in rare cases even physical causes, but this does
not automatically mean that depression can be termed a ‘disease’. The
physical symptoms are just that – symptoms. Being
depressed can feel like a physical illness as pain can be
experienced and aspects of our lives are affected as they can be with a genuine
disease. It has certainly not been proved that a
hormonal imbalance alone for example will therefore equal a depressed
person – it may have a relevance but does not mean it will happen every
time.

So what does cause
depression? Some causes may be obvious such as a loss of job or bereavement
but often, the reason behind the onset can be more subtle. And again, not everyone who loses their job or who
suffers a bereavement will become depressed. Any of us could suffer from
depression at any time in the right circumstances. Some of us may be more
prone to suffer from depression than others may, but may still not suffer
from it ever in our lives. Let’s take a look at
some other possible causes of depression.